On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA” or the “Act”), into law. The law overhauls leave requirements for employers – amending the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to add new Public Health Emergency Leave and enacting Emergency Paid Sick Leave for reasons related to the Coronavirus. The […]
Update on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
Coronavirus FAQ #2 for Employers – Working from Home
Dear AJ: Some healthy employees want to work at home. Do I have to allow that? AJ’s Answer: The question posed, in my view, requires a larger look at our businesses and what we want to accomplish, how we want to do that, what we actually are able to do, and what makes sense for our […]
Coronavirus FAQ #1 for Employers – Compensation
Dear AJ: What if I have to tell employees to stay home, be “self-quarantined,” or shut our office for a couple of weeks? What am I required to pay people? AJ’s Answer: Required (by law) payment of employees on quarantine is dependent on whether the employee works or not and if they are exempt/salary or not. […]
Our Patchwork of Sick and Vacation Pay Rules Is Counter-Productive to American Employment
My Dear Mr. President . . . and to our Esteemed Congress, Here’s the perspective of one employment lawyer in Texas. Guys, [1] we still have a country to run. [2] And, the reality is our country runs on business, which means employers and employees. In the Employment Law Area, we Need National Thought, Practice, […]
A Return to Common Sense: Fifth Circuit Guidance on Handbooks
T-Mobile USA, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board[1] or the Case of “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda.” Employers are caught between a rock and a hard place. Courts demand rules for employee conduct, but, when employers oblige and spell out what seem to most to be common sense “I-learned-that-in-kindergarten” rules, they may run into trouble under Section […]
Judge Blocks Overtime New Rules. So now what?
The stunning news: The new overtime regulations set to go into effect on December 1, 2016, are now on hold due to a Texas judge’s ruling yesterday November 22, 2016, barring implementation nationwide. How did we get here? So now what do employers do? In my little corner of the law, overtime has been a […]
Christmas in July: Avoiding the Grinch
Practically Dealing With The December 1st Overtime Regulations—Five Months Out After much angst, the Department of Labor’s newest and most onerous overtime regulations become effective December 1st, right in time for the holidays. Goody! As of that date, if employers are not ready, haven’t revised pay procedures, and put in new accounting processes, well, “TB”—and […]
Dewan – Game-changing Overtime Case for Energy Industry
AJ Johnson discusses the Dewan decision in her post on the Energy Law Today blog.aj
What Texas Employers Need to Know Regarding the Open Carry Law
This blog was co-authored by AJ Johnson and Trent Rexing. The New Year brought new law to Texas making it the 45th state to allow some form of open carry of handguns. On January 1, 2016, new law went into effect allowing Texans who hold a concealed handgun license (“CHL”) to openly carry their handguns […]
New DOL Overtime Regulations
Director AJ Johnson’s latest post on Energy Law Today focuses on the upcoming overtime regulations by the Department of Labor.